Greg Hunt's plan bypasses Senate

Tony Abbott's much-criticised ''direct action'' carbon abatement policy can be introduced without legislation, meaning it will not have to run the gauntlet of a hostile Senate, it has been revealed.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt has indicated that the government has been advised that it can introduce the controversial replacement program for Labor's carbon price through regulation rather than direct legislation.

That means avoiding the Senate now where Labor and the Greens stand ready to knock it out, and even beyond June, where a swag of incoming independent senators may prove difficult to convince.

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The revelation came as the government dramatically stepped up the pressure on the opposition demanding that it stop its ''flip-flopping'' on the carbon tax and wave through the ''carbon tax'' repeal immediately.

In a move transparently timed to force the issue as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten convened his first shadow cabinet meeting, Mr Hunt demanded that the ALP hold true to its pre-election claim to have ''terminated'' the carbon tax.

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Mr Hunt said the government preferred taking the policy to the Parliament. He stressed there was ''no doubt'' that the $3 billion policy, which will use a reverse auction from a pool of taxpayer funds known as the Emission Reduction Fund, can be introduced without legislation.

''We would like Direct Action to be approved by the Parliament, we are not waiting for the new Senate and we'll be proceeding but there are two separate actions on the table here,'' he said referring to the repeal of the carbon price and the Direct Action program.

Confident: Greg Hunt has no doubts the policy can be introduced without legislation. Photo: Andrew Meares

He said the government was pressing ahead with the repeal and with a consultation process for the reduction fund which would see a parliamentary preliminary discussion or ''green paper'' before Christmas and a more final white paper ''shortly in the new year''.

''I am extremely confident … that we will enact the ERF,'' Mr Hunt said. ''I think there are a variety of ways to do it, and I have no doubt that we will be able to implement the ERF … our primary approach is the legislature, but there are other options to do it, there is no doubt about that.''

Chairing his first full frontbench meeting in Canberra on Monday, Mr Shorten, deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, and climate spokesman Mark Butler addressed carbon pricing and the repeal but only at the broader level.